Chelsea takeover now ‘very close’ as Abramovich denies loan repayment rumors

Roman Abramovich has denied that he has changed his mind regarding the £1.5b loan that Chelsea technically owe him, and that he still intends to make sure that proceeds from the sale of the club go to charitable organizations and “good causes”.

In a statement released through a spokesperson on the Chelsea official website, our outgoing owner reassures that “despite the changing circumstances since his initial announcement — he remains committed to finding a good custodian for Chelsea FC and making sure the proceeds go to good causes”.

The full statement is here.

Recent reports and rumors have claimed that Abramovich no longer wants to write off and forgive that loan, that he wants it repaid to himself, and that he’s also increased the sales price at the last minute — as a sort of [FUN] you to the UK Government for their sanctions, but which could also delay or even scupper the sale. The statement denies all of that.

The statement adds that “The Government are aware of these restrictions as well as the legal implications” of the various sanctions (UK and EU) and what they would mean in how the (frozen) funds and the loan could be eventually handled.

However, none of that should affect the sales process itself at this point, which remains on track, and as per latest reports, is now “very close” with Boehly-Clearlake “confident they will own” the club. Their exclusivity period for negotiations is set to end tomorrow. And once they have the keys to Stamford Bridge, the authorities can figure out how to best deal with their frozen proceeds from the sale — and we can get back to the business of (just) football.